Hello! I am Susannah and I am taking a class, Learners and Diversity. This is my inquiry project where I have chosen and YouTube video then used video and text response to justify why I agree with it. Please take the time to watch the video clips and read my response! Feel free to leave me comments.
Education Today and Tomorrow begins by showing the differences between the world we prepared are students for in the past and the world that we need to prepare them for today. No one can dispute the world is a different place than it was fifty years ago. The world is even different than it was five years ago.
The first main difference that the video points out is the types of jobs our students will go on to work in. Jobs today all use all of the latest technologies. It points out that the average student will have ten to fourteen careers. It is our job as teachers to make students comfortable with technology and teach them to be flexible. The curriculum we engage our students in should be versatile and applicable to many different subjects. This can be done by introducing technology at young age and helping students to understand it. If a teacher feels comfortable with the newest technology their students will get exposure to it and learn how to use it. Often times I have noticed SmartBoards and other technologies go unused in the classroom because the teacher did not feel confident using it in front of their class. Students are already using so much technology like ipods, blogging, cell phones, and laptops. Using it in your classroom allows you to connect with your students and bring lessons up to date with the world.
Another point the video makes is how the world is growing. It says that China has more honor students that the United States has students. An important aspect of preparing students for the future is preparing them to communicate with the world. Businesses today have centers in all different continents. Communication is key for a successful classroom. But, to help students be ready for the world communication has to stretch beyond your classroom. Students can learn so much from other students around the world. They can learn the culture, language, and how to compare their lives to other peoples’ lives around the world.
Piaget and Vygotsky both have elements to their theories that can be applied to this video clip. One of Piaget’s basic assumptions is that a child’s interaction with is environment is necessary for cognitive development (Ormrod 26). By allowing your students to be a part of their learning by discovering new technology and figuring it out for themselves you are fostering their cognitive growth. Also, Piaget says that equilibration is essential for developing more complex thought (Ormrod 26). You can move children from equilibrium to disequilibrium in the classroom by presenting them with technology and tasks they are not familiar with and guiding them through it.
Vygotsky’s theories also support Education Today and Tomorrow. Vygotsky introduced the concept of zone of proximal development. This is the “range of tasks that a child can perform with the help and guidance of others but cannot yet perform independently” (Ormrod 36). Many of the skills students are learning in the classroom do not push their zone of proximal development. Teaching methods and the tasks we give children today do not always push them do think outside their comfort zone or push them to the next level. But, if you were to give your student the opportunity to learn about other parts of the world from first hand experience or challenge them to complete projects using new technologies and websites they would be able to expand their knowledge and cognitive development. With the help of a teacher who is comfortable with new teaching methods and knows how to use technology in the classroom students could complete these tasks and be more prepared for the future.
The final question the video proposes is “Are we teaching them?” Many students today are not getting the education that will help them to be successful in tomorrow’s world. We should push students to think creatively and outside their comfort zone. We need to prepare them for the world by teaching them how to incorporate technology in their lives and use it to their advantage. Also, help students to see the world not just what is in the textbook. I think that this video should encourage all teachers to reevaluate their lessons and curriculums. Are you teaching students the skills they need to function in tomorrow’s world?
Sources:
Ormrod, J. (2006). Education Psychology . Columbus, Ohio: Pearson.
It's interesting to see another person's view of the video. To give you a little background, I made that video after seeing K. Fisch's original PowerPoint slides. This was before he developed the video and achieved widespread fame. The video was a kick off to our new school year where the theme was shaking things up- essentially we were trying to motivate our teachers to reconsider their practice in light of how the world is now. If I'd have known how many people would end up seeing this video I'd have worked on it for much longer than I did.
Looking at it now, I see so many ways this could have been more powerful and more useful. I give a lot of stats, build up some fear (maybe) and then leave people with a question/challenge but no real assistance in answering it. By now, these stats also seem really over-used and boring. They don't have the impact they once had. It also seems a little tech centric when I feel that teachers need more motivation towards building relationships with students and focusing on thinking about education creatively. That is certainly facilitated through technology but isn't dependent on it.
These type of "motivation" movies for teachers have reached, at least for me, the level of farce with so many facts thrown out that they really stop making any impact. I don't care if today's average student "games" 3 hours a day or "texts" 4 million times a week. I need to know what _my_ students do, what _my_ students' interests are. Those are the things that matter- not averages. If I'm focusing on my students, their needs and helping them learn the best I can then I won't need those stats- I'll know my students and I'll be leveraging that knowledge each and every day to get at what they need.
In the end, I think a lot about what kind of change we'll need in education to reach the point where research driven teaching strategies are applied and assessed in ways that make sense. I wonder how much we can do to encourage that change and do things that really matter in terms of convince people. I also wonder who needs convincing? Do you target parents, other teachers, administrators, politicians? I'm not sure and this may not be the course for the discussion but it's something I've been thinking about.
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Comments (2)
Tom Woodward said
at 9:58 am on Dec 2, 2008
It's interesting to see another person's view of the video. To give you a little background, I made that video after seeing K. Fisch's original PowerPoint slides. This was before he developed the video and achieved widespread fame. The video was a kick off to our new school year where the theme was shaking things up- essentially we were trying to motivate our teachers to reconsider their practice in light of how the world is now. If I'd have known how many people would end up seeing this video I'd have worked on it for much longer than I did.
Looking at it now, I see so many ways this could have been more powerful and more useful. I give a lot of stats, build up some fear (maybe) and then leave people with a question/challenge but no real assistance in answering it. By now, these stats also seem really over-used and boring. They don't have the impact they once had. It also seems a little tech centric when I feel that teachers need more motivation towards building relationships with students and focusing on thinking about education creatively. That is certainly facilitated through technology but isn't dependent on it.
These type of "motivation" movies for teachers have reached, at least for me, the level of farce with so many facts thrown out that they really stop making any impact. I don't care if today's average student "games" 3 hours a day or "texts" 4 million times a week. I need to know what _my_ students do, what _my_ students' interests are. Those are the things that matter- not averages. If I'm focusing on my students, their needs and helping them learn the best I can then I won't need those stats- I'll know my students and I'll be leveraging that knowledge each and every day to get at what they need.
Tom Woodward said
at 9:58 am on Dec 2, 2008
In the end, I think a lot about what kind of change we'll need in education to reach the point where research driven teaching strategies are applied and assessed in ways that make sense. I wonder how much we can do to encourage that change and do things that really matter in terms of convince people. I also wonder who needs convincing? Do you target parents, other teachers, administrators, politicians? I'm not sure and this may not be the course for the discussion but it's something I've been thinking about.
You don't have permission to comment on this page.